What's wrong with Miss Suzys fur?

[Tayce]

Miss Suzy is a fox squirrel about 5 months old. Recently I started noticing that her fur does not “healthy” to me. I don’t know exactly how to describe it. My kids put it best with that it looks “wrinkly” and “oily”. I’m going to try to get a picture so you can see what I’m talking about.
Within the last month she has been moved to a larger cage, allowing her more room for activity. She has lost weight since being placed in her new cage. She is very active and spends lots of time playing.
I feed her twice a day a diet consisting largely of fruits and veggies, HHB and, wild foods I find around our area. Am I not feeding her enough? I don’t know. She doesn’t eat all of her HHB. Sometimes she only takes little bites out of them. I think she would only eat nuts and seeds if I would let her.
Hopefully someone has an idea to what’s going on. My father in law has 80 acres of wooded land with a 10 acre pond that I plan to release her this spring and I need her to be as healthy as I can for when that day comes.

[Tayce]

For instance, I just gave her sweet potato, tomato, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, avocado, yellow squash, and a few acorns.

[island rehabber]

hi Tayce, at first glance Miss Suzy's diet doesn't seem half bad. I'd be curious to see a picture of her fur before making any judgments, although generally poor fur quality is a sign of something being off in the nutrition area.

Back off from the nuts and seeds, and add dark leafy greens to her diet. Try to get her to eat chickory, escarole, dandelion greens, swiss chard, kale, or radicchio -- more calcium and other vitamins in those that she needs. Sometimes they do lose a few grams when they go out to a big release cage, a result of their increased activity level and nothing to be worried about. As for the HHB's, if you don't think she's eating them all, try the Picky Blocks next time you order. Few can resist them, and she'll still get her calcium. :thumbsup

Just curious: what formula did you have her on as a baby? Wondering if that might have had something to do with her fur quality....

[JLM27]

And avocado:tilt

[Tayce]

She's been on Fox Valley from the beginning. It’s been about a month or two since she has quit taking it. (I occasionally mix it up anyway and can get her to still take a sip or two) Also, I just started sprinkling calcium carbonate powder on her food.
Guessing by what I have been reading on this website, I am thinking she prefers nuts, seeds, avocados, Ect and eats these things first and foremost before nibbling on those foods that are better for her.
I’m taking your advice, Island Rehabber, about the picky blocks. I just ordered some from Henrys Healthy Pets. Hopefully with that in combination with leafy greens and less of the treats I can combat whatever is going on. I am still going to try to get a picture of her fur. Defiantly there is something going on there.
Could sunlight be an issue? She receives light through a window but has never been outside.

[JLM27]

Could she need a bath? Do you see her grooming herself? My wilds are licking and fluffing all the time, but they are yearlings now.

[Tayce]

:thankyou I never thought of giving her a good scrub down before. I have seen her groom, but only have observed her grooming her face area.
Also, I was thinking that perhaps she lost weight from the cage change so quickly that it has caused her skin to fold giving it that strange, “wrinkly", variegated appearance.
I am going to continue to treat it as a nutrition issue by giving her healthy foods first, treats last. Even though it so easy to cave and offer treats!